1990s Fads & Toys: From Tickle Me Elmo to Beanie Babies

Each decade always seems to have their own toy fads,
those must-have playthings that parents are willing to spend hours waiting
in line for just so they can stuff their kids' stocking with the latest and
greatest craze sweeping America. In the 1980's it was Cabbage Patch kids
that garnered the most attention, but the 1990s had their own fair share of
overnight sensations in the toy department, products that had people camping
out in the aisles of their local Toys R Us in order to ensure that they
wouldn't be disappointed if stocks ran out.

Of course, some of these toys were so sophisticated that not only did
they have their own independent distribution network, but they also managed
to transcend the typical 'toy' label and cross the line into 'collectible'
status. The most prominent examples of this trend were Beanie Babies,
lovable little plush toys stuffed with plastic beans that were initially
modeled after animals. Beanie Babies leapt into the public consciousness in
1993 by employing a strategy of limited production numbers for each
particular model, which were given cute names like 'Chocolate the Moose' or
'Legs the Frog.' Once supplies ran out, the toys were off the market
forever, leading collectors who simply had to have every single Beanie Baby
to bid enormous amounts for the rarest of the rare examples. Beanie Babies
were at first mostly sold through small specialty retail shops, but
eventually their appeal spread to such a degree that the billion dollar
Beanie Baby industry colonized the cable networks, where their cute little
faces would become a home shopping staple. At the end of the decade, these
toys had seen their popularity fade, although there is still an active
Beanie Baby trade kept alive on eBay for hardcore collectors.

The next cuddly little object of desire to set the toy shelves on fire
was an innocuous doll version of one of the world's favorite Muppets. Tickle
Me Elmo was a soft Elmo toy that would respond to squeezes and hugs with
pre-recorded laughter and giggles. It would also vibrate just like the
'real' Elmo presumably would if his funny bone had been tickled. This
seemingly innocent toy would ignite a firestorm of consumer greed, with
people actually beating each other up in stores to get their hands on as
many of the dolls as they could. There appeared to be no real rhyme or
reason behind the Elmo toy's sudden popularity amongst children in 1996,
especially given the fact that other Muppets in the Tickle Me line did not
fare nearly as well in terms of sales. Of course, there is rarely any sense
to be found in a fad, and the Tickle Me Elmo story was a wild roller coaster
that would not be duplicated in the decade's closing years.

One the less aggressively consumerist toy phenomena of the 1990's was the Tamagotchi, a tiny little computerized pet that could live on a keychain or
the pocket of a child. The Tamagotchi's world consisted of a small LCD
screen where its owners could play with it, feed it, and of course tidy up
after it had, ahem, taken care of business. The Tamagotchi had been a huge
success in Japan and when it hit North America kids went wild, with many
becoming quite attached to their digital pets. One of the key ways that the
Tamagotchi drew people in was the fact that the actions of its owner – how
many times the pet was played with, how well it was looked after – would
have a direct influence on the 'status' of the creature, in terms of its
happiness and its health. In fact, a neglected Tamagotchi could actually
'suffer' and even 'die,' a somewhat cruel lesson for children who had
forgotten the toy in their backpack for a few weeks. There were a number of
different Tamagotchis available, with a range of characteristics, looks and
sensitivities that made some easier to care for than others.

Each of these toys enjoyed the spotlight for a brief but very intense
period in the 1990's, a decade where technology met cuteness and changed the
lives of millions of kids around the world.